1. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Giving Good Presentations Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago “XXX, you maybe a good programmer but it don’t mean beans if you can’t tell a good story!” - Tom Moher

2. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago The Introduction TELL A GOOD STORY! Rehearse an opening Know your audience. Give them a copy of your slides What is the motivating problem? Why is it important? Sound enthusiastic Everyone wants to hear a good presentation- the only one who can screw it up is you. Have you ever gone to a movie that you wanted to suck? No outline slide please- everyone knows you are going to give an intro, a middle and a conclusion. Stay on time! Rehearse!

3. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago The Content Speak slowly, boldly and clearly Choose good visible fonts, sizes and colors Dark backgrounds, light text, consistent color scheme Use slides as notes, not a book. Don’t read your slides If you put up a formula you better explain it so that your audience understands. Pages of formulae will lose people Interact with your audience Look at your audience, all of them. Not just one person or the floor, or the screen, or your notes Define your acronyms if audience does not know them Test your slides on the projector - Stand where the audience are and see what they see. Can you see?

4. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago How Many Slides Figure on 1 minute per slide Really - its true If it takes less than a minute to go through a slide maybe it isnt worth devoting a slide to it If it takes more than a minute then the slide is probably too dense

5. White background, Black Text- Agh! Tolerable if you have only Overhead Transparencies. Dark backgrounds, light text. Choose good visible fonts, sizes and colors. You’re from a graphics lab, you better have pictures! Step back This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font

6. Dark Background Example Dark backgrounds, light text. Choose good visible fonts, sizes and colors. You’re from a graphics lab, you better have pictures! This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font Step back

7. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Another Dark Background Example Dark backgrounds, light text. Choose good visible fonts, sizes and colors. You’re from a graphics lab, you better have pictures! This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font Step back

8. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Choose a good font size This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font Step back

9. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Choose colors that’s easy to read This is text - good! This is text - agh!!!!!!! This is text - no!!!! This is text - good! This is text - borderline Step back

10. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Alternate colors if you have lots of bullets (optional) Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah TELL A GOOD STORY! Rehearse an opening What is the motivating problem? Why is it important? Sound enthusiastic No outline slide please- everyone knows you are going to give an intro, a middle and a conclusion Stay on time! Stay on time!

11. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Compare to all white text Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah TELL A GOOD STORY! Rehearse an opening What is the motivating problem? Why is it important? Sound enthusiastic No outline slide please- everyone knows you are going to give an intro, a middle and a conclusion Stay on time! Stay on time!

12. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Choose a good font This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font This is 40pt font This is 32pt font This is 24pt font - This is the limit This is 18pt font This is 14pt font This is 12pt font This is 10pt font Arial/Helvetica Times Roman Step back

13. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago You’re from a graphics lab, you better have lots of pictures! Use pictures to wake-up the presentation But use meaningful pictures Explain the pictures to the audience Are the labels in the picture readable? Make it match your slides. You match your tie to your shirt don’t you? Show a video of your application running

14. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Pictures Remember that white background & black text is bad! Don’t accept what Excel gives you. Fix the colors! Everything that applies to your slides applies to your pictures & graphs Read the text for the audience if it is unavoidably too small

15. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Animations Animation can be used to clarify diagrams, showing flows or transitions between states More often its over-used Be very careful using animation in serious presentations

16. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago The Conclusions Don’t end with: “well uh that’s it.” End with: “And that concludes my talk, If there are questions I’d be happy to answer them.” Rehearse the close of your talk Show a fast 1 slide overview of your work Show a web site where they can get more information and your contact info - leave it on the screen so people can write it down

17. Electronic Visualization Laboratory University of Illinois at Chicago Answering Questions Repeat the question so that everyone in the room can hear Step outside of yourself If you don’t know the answer, just say so If a question will take a lot of time to answer, tell them that you’d be happy to discuss this further after the talk